Kenny Bell's status a merry-go-round

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- University of Alabama wide receiver Kenny Bell played in Saturday's season opener in Atlanta, returned to practice on Monday and then abruptly announced via Twitter that he was hanging up his cleats for the final time on Tuesday. It wasn't a clear message that he'd quit the football team, and if anyone was looking for clarification on his status, none was to be had when Nick Saban spoke to the media.

Saban said Bell would return to the team Wednesday and that his absence from practice was for "a personal day."

"Sometimes we have personal things to get ironed out, and today he had a day to do that," he said. "So there's really nothing else to talk about when it comes to that."

Saban, though, did elaborate on the situation later during his news conference.

More on Alabama

"He came and we had a discussion," he explained. " … There were some personal things he had to iron out and I think he talked to his family about it. I talked to his mom. And we talked again today.

"I want Kenny to be happy. I would love for him to be a part of the team if he can be happy doing that relative to any other personal responsibilities that he has."

Whatever Saban told Bell worked, apparently, as Bell tweeted later that night that he was back.

"I'm back with the team!! Just needed time to myself for a day but I couldn't leave my boy @10AJMcCarron we ended this run together," he wrote on his personal account on Twitter.

Bell, who started three games and appeared in 12 contests in 2012 before a leg injury ended his season, told reporters in the lead up to the season that he was back to 100 percent and touted the offense's growth from a year ago. But the Louisiana native changed his tune when he took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to announce his departure from the team, though the only reason he cited for giving up the game was to take care of his children.